The first airmail stamps were issued in 1918. The U.S. Airmail Service was born that year on 13 May 1918, when two 90-horsepower Curtiss Jenny airplanes departed for Philadelphia from New York and Washington.
The Act of May 6, 1918, authorized the Post Office Department to carry the mail by airplane. This ruling necessitated a new stamp â one of distinctive design and color. A red frame and blue vignette (design) on white paper created a patriotic âred, white and blueâ airmail issue (the 24¢ Curtiss Jenny â #C3). The airmail rate was set at 24¢ per ounce and thus the first airmail stamp was born!
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